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COBRA Enrollees Have 60 Days to Switch to an Exchange Plan; Move Is Expected to Save California Consumers Money on Health Insurance

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Beginning Thursday, May 15, Covered California will launch a limited-time special-enrollment period for people who have COBRA health insurance and would like to switch to an exchange plan.

People who have health coverage through COBRA (the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) will be eligible to shop for and buy coverage through Covered California from May 15 through July 15, 2014. The two-month window mirrors a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ruling announced May 2 that allows COBRA enrollees to buy plans through the federal exchange until July 1st.

Covered California™ and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced today that from Oct. 1, 2013, to March 31, 2014*, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 122,971 consumers in two Inland Empire counties enrolled in subsidized and non-subsidized Covered California health insurance plans. The new total represents a 70 percent increase from the 72,340 enrollments recorded through Jan. 31.

A strong turnout in the closing weeks of open enrollment in Sacramento counties helped push county enrollment in Covered California health insurance plans to 400,889 consumers. The results announced today by Covered California™ and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) represent a 66 percent increase during March* over the 241,312 enrollments that had been recorded .The new total represents a 59 percent increase from the 76,875 enrollments recorded through Feb. 28.